


Accept Apology

by Skatebird



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Gen, OC, Object Head, Original Characters - Freeform, Poppunk, has an ending, indie, object heads - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 21:16:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12197586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skatebird/pseuds/Skatebird
Summary: A one-shot prequel to the book "Insights"





	Accept Apology

**Author's Note:**

  * For [http://reapers-thick-thighs.tumblr.com](/gifts?recipient=http%3A%2F%2Freapers-thick-thighs.tumblr.com).



Was it a bad day? 

Or am I really losing it?

Lord, I’m Trying

 

“Hi.” 

Danny stares at the computer mouse boy who would sneak out of sunday school to smoke weed in the woods behind the church. Except that boy standing before him was an adult now. Maybe adult wasn't the right word. “Grown Up” seemed to be more appropriate for the pair as the only thing that's changed was their age. Cid was drowning in a oversized Power Rangers T-shirt except for his USB cord tied up in a man-bun. 

“You look awake.” Even at 5 in the morning Danny could still muster up the ability to somewhat tease his best friend.

Danny, the pizza slice, was wearing the same clothes he wore to the party last night. A black T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off and skinny jeans faded from his boney knees. Although Cid replied with nothing as usual, his mom poked her head from behind his figure and spoke for him.

“You smell like you've been drinking. You're not hungover, are you Danny?”

“What?! Of course not Ma’am.” He Lied, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I have a job interview today.”

“Good. You know the deal. You drive Cid to church and school, and he lets you stay over.”

This time, Danny held his crude remarks to himself. You are sheltering him. This is why he has never had a girlfriend. He wanted to scream, but It wasn't worth agitating the people that were nice enough to give him a place to stay and could kick him out if they wanted to. At least, not today. 

 

Cid allowed Danny to swing the surprisingly heavy duffle bag onto his bed. Then quickly remembered why it was so heavy. Shit. Scrambling, he opened the bag to reveal the guitar swaddled in a million shirts, socks and underwear. Nothing broken thank god, but before he could take the instrument out entirely and start fiddling with it, Cid was already facing the opposite direction, hunched over his laptop playing some crazy first person shooter game. 

Danny remembered Cid talking about the game non stop during their last hang out, but he must of been too high or didn't care enough to remember the details. Or maybe he did care and he was just really tired? 

He just shrugged and staggered into Cid’s bathroom which was really just the family bathroom in the hallway. Danny just identified it as “Cid’s Bathroom” because all his older siblings were out of the house and were married and had kids and all that. 

Kids. Marriage. Isabella was turning 6 in a few weeks. Suddenly the thoughts surounded his vulnerable nakid body, hoping somehow the hot water of the suburban house would wash away his mistakes.

-

“You look nice” Cid spoke for the first time all morning. 

Danny was diligently picking at crusty bread bits on his arms. Cid sounded sincere and that pissed off the pizza faced man more than anything.

“It's not the first time I've worked for them, I know how they want things done” 

Even though Danny was cleaned up with formal pants and solid clean shirt, Cid was pristine. Danny had never seen a collared shirt so white in his life before. The tie that was probably leant down to Cid from one of his older brothers or dad, looked like it was from the 80s. Nothing particularly special about the tie; turquoise with some tan stripes; yet still pale and able to fit the rest of the computer mouses cool complexion. that didn't stop Danny staring at it and letting it take him back to the 80s. A time when his life wasn't complete utter shit. Just as the pizza was on the verge of thinking something deep and meaningful, Cid turned off the lights of his bedroom and walked out without any regards. Danny just took this as the que to get going.

-

“So how are things.” Danny was empowered behind the wheel of his pickup and felt like he could breath again.

“Slow down! You're going 35”

“I'll live. Have you met any chicas?” 

Some time actually went by after that brief confrontation. Danny stimmed some rhythmic noises on the steering wheel waiting for the light to change like a kid in middle school drumming with his pencils watching the clock. Oddly, this calmed Cid down enough to relax his tensed shoulders and finally respond to danny's question with another question.

“Have you been to the metaphysical shop in town?”

Cid was quiet, but when he spoke, it was anything but boring.

“Okay i'll bite” Danny re-straightened his posture so he could stretch his skinny right arm behind the passenger seat.

“Its nice. Anyways the girl that works there is kinda cute... and stuff.”

“No shit?”

He didn't toy much more with his best friend’s thoughts for the remainder of their ride to church. It was 7am, give the tired boys a break. But there was this brief pause when Cid got out of the old beat up ford collecting his book bag and drum sticks. Nothing judgemental, though it was as if the computer mouse was trying to communicate something even he himself didn't fully understand. All Danny knew is that it made him feel like shit afterwards.

“Jackass” Danny mumbled, not sure if he was directing it towards Cid, himself, or Jesus christ on the cross.

\----------------------

 

Interviews are important for any job, of course everyone knows that. But what's the point of them if your own boss used to change your diapers? 

For some reason though, he was forced to call his parents as Mr and Mrs. “its more professional and we don't want to be more like those others places” His menopausal mother had explained to him. The hell did she even mean by “those others?” does every italian immigrant have some sort of reputation of serving bad food just because they share a business with family?

This was something Danny never really pondered much on or even cared about for that matter. Except on days like this; fists sinking into dough. The cheese on his face getting greasy in the hot stuffy kitchen. A heavy pat on the back from a hand shook his entire torso. 

“Look at this ma! the entire family back in business!” Marco put his triangular face up against Danny's so the sides of their faces matched up. He felt small compared to his older brother who was also a slice of pizza.

Danny just kept punching the life out of the dough while his mom apparently did not remind Marco about the stupid ‘Maiden Names Are More Professional’ rule. She was far to preoccupied with the stain at booth three. 

-

 

After the lunch rush, Danny went out the back door to rest his aching joints and hope the fresh air would wake him up, but Marco beat him to it. Cigarette in hand and everything.

Danny was still too tired to remember the last time him and Marco had really hung out since Marco was released from prison. By no means could the brother qualify the two co workers slacking off at work as hanging out, but it was something. 

And nothing needed to be said either. Danny still had enough respect for his older brother. He could also tell Marco was still hurting inside. Marco could say the same about Danny.  
So the two brothers allowed their afternoon to slip by in bittersweet silence. That is, until the head of the restaurant arrived.

“Danny you should be lucky your montha let you come back. I'm not impressed with the work your friends did to our wall outback.” His father proclaimed, putting an apron over his own aged cheese wheel head. 

It wasn't Danny's fault though. Not directly. Danny's friends apparently got bored waiting for him to clock off and spray painted the world's lamest graffiti on the back side of the resterant. He didn't hang out with those kids anymore. Danny considered speaking up but it was Marco that jumped in. 

“I'll keep an eye on him pa. We're keeping him too busy for him to wander off.”

What's with him? Before prison, Marco constantly walked around flexing his muscles that were covered in tattoos, ready to take on anyone who breathed wrong in his direction. Now Danny could practically see the rainbow shooting out of his ass as he waited the tables.

By the time 3pm rolled around, Danny was almost too tired to do anything. He wanted to forget he had a truck and just curl up on one of the sacks of flour and hibernate….

A hand slapped the table and Danny instinctively jolted up, which made Marco very delighted to see. 

“What's your deal?”

“I've just missed having you around Danny. When you are not around, Ma and Pa only have me to take their heat out on. 

Yeah well it was their decision to run a restaurant. Danny considered before Marco ran his mouth again.

“You picking up the girls tonight?” 

Hearing that instantly woke Danny up like some sort of instinctual behavior. 

“Yes, actually, I have to leave right now. I’m supposed to be picking up Cid too.” 

 

Marco sighed resting a bit of his floppy pizza head in his hands. Danny took the opportunity to remove his apron, now completely covered in a sheet of flour. 

“I'll bring them here in a few days, they would be happy to see you.” Danny tried before walking out.  
Marco said nothing, even though that had made his day.

\----

Seeing his old duplex again didn't make him too sad. It used to, but now he learned to do a few puffs from his pipe before approaching his ex-wife again, so he just became more sluggish than anything. 

“Oh” was all Debbie said when she opened the door. It was probably the nicest thing she had said to him in a while. 

Danny took a few steps inside awkwardly just enough to shade himself from the hot sun, and for Debbie to smell him. Before coming in, Danny had coated Himself with axe body spray to erase the smell of liquor and pot. But to no avail. Mothers had the best noses. She sighs passive aggressively, fidgeting with her cassette tape face in a random mirror in the living room. Danny tried his hardest to ignore her as a strange man walked into the kitchen. Couldn't have been much younger or older than Danny. He was humming a nameless tune while grabbing a glass and poured some of his own beverage from his head that was a energy drink can. 

Well she did always had a thing for food heads…  
Danny thought wondering if he died last night at that party and went to hell. Knowing her, this man was being whipped into shape by Debbie. With gratitude the exhausted mother drank the man's caffeinated syrup from the from the glass and Danny swore he would never drink a rockstar again. 

“Well Im working for my parents again.”

“yes…” she gazed down at his converse shoes that were black this morning, now encrusted with flour and tomato sauce.  
she put on a unusual stern voice. 

“you can take them for the weekend only if you stay with them at all times. I don't want them hanging out with your friends Danny, I mean it. Cid is fine.” 

“You got it. So they have anything...like...you know..”

She sighed and pointed to the calendar on the fridge. “Saturday kaitlyn wants to go to her friend’s birthday party and Isabella has dance. “

“No problem”

“DADDY!!” Isabella scrambled down the hallway and ran straight into Danny's legs, hugging them with all she had in her. Danny let out a “oof” on the impact. Her CD disk face was freshly polished and her backpack packed except for Ruffles the blanket she still dragged around everywhere. Her desperation for her father's affection made Danny feel like he had been gone for 59 years instead of two weeks.

In comparison, the older CD head girl seemed to almost forget Danny was her father, as her hug felt slow and almost forced. Danny didn't mind Kaitlyn's distance, he was just happy to see their sparkling faces again. the house and Debbie and the strange man disappeared for a moment Danny considered laying down right there on the door mat and crying.

-

“All buckled?”.

“Dad can you play my favorite song?” 

Which one is that again? He fumbled with the mp3 player through hundreds of pop punk and rap until he came across the song “I want Candy” by Aaron Carter. This has to be the one

As soon as he put it on Isabella squealed and Kaitlyn facepalmed. Isabella wiggled around and sang to the cheesy pop song. She started kicking the back of his seat a bit, but he just cranked it up for her. 

“Again please!” 

“No, now it's Kaitlyn's turn. Kaitlyn?”

“I don't know”

“oh come on, I'm sure I'll have it. Try me.”

It was “I gotta feeling” by the Black eyed peas. Danny briefly wondered where he got this music in the first place before the synth started and Kaitlyn and Isabella's mood brightened. He cranked it up and rolled down the windows and pretty soon Danny and Kaitlyn were singing “TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT LET'S LIVE IT UP!”

The music shook their souls open. Almost to the community college now is when he saw some heartbreakingly familiar flashing lights.

He immediately lowered the music and pulled off the side of the road. But his heart didn't start pounding until he heard his daughter speak up.

“Dad? What's going on?”

“Just a police officer, don't say anything unless he asks you a question, okay?” 

They both gave the smallest nod. 

“Do you know why I pulled you over?” his head was a knife that poked through the car window to inspect, so much so that Danny had to duck his head a little. Lucky for the pizza slice, the cop was not one he had met before. 

“No sir” Danny tried his hardest to sound innocent. After all he did find this to be a little excessive. 

Then he remembered the weed he had in the truck. It was stashed carelessly in the armrest storage between the two front seats. and the dad was now sweating grease. 

“hmmm….you girls having a good time tonight?” was all the knife said to cut the silence. Danny tried not to shake.  
“yeah.” Kaitlyn and Isabella said in unison, staring blankly at the cop. 

“You were blasting music and varying in speed.” He words were sharply cutting through tension. 

“Oh..” danny felt like he was going to puke.  
“I was just playing music for my girls. Just picked them up from their mother's house.”

“Alright. Get them home safe. I don't want to pull you over again.” 

Somehow, by some strange unknown force at work, the cop seemed to understand. And wave of cooling relief that poured over Danny as he laughed nervously. 

“Will do”  
-  
The rest of the ride was pretty generic. Danny tried his hardest to be collected when he saw Cid approaching, but at this point a fly could land on him and he would break apart. 

“CID!!” the girls both exclaimed lovingly. 

Cid gave them a coy look and a soft chuckle. Isabella reached out her hand for a high five a Cid obliged. 

“how’d today go?” Danny began but then his own youngest daughter spoke up.

“CID WE GOT TO MEET A POLICE MAN”

 

Danny tensed every muscle. Cid as well. Then they locked faces for a moment. Before Cid started breathing heavily, being quickly consumed by rage. 

“Cid it was nothing!” Danny exclaimed, horrified by the site of his best friend’s silent fury.

Cids fists hit against his own face, making a loud -CLICK-.

“We just got got pulled over for blasting music. right girls?”

“yeah”

Cid wasn't given enough time to process, so it took him and extra minute to calm down as Isabella chimed.

“Don't be sad, we love you Cid”

-

Cids mood seemed to sort of restart when he got to play his computer games. Meanwhile, Danny and girls were have a tickle fight in the guest bedroom until Cids mom interrupted to tell them to keep it down because apparently Cids dad, a computer head, had a virus. The day was winding down anyways. It was time for a movie and popcorn. The four of them all curled up onto Kaitlyn's bed in the guest bedroom (which she protested initially) to watch a Disney movie on the portable DVD player Isabella brought. The kid was a pack-rat.

After the movie, Cid allowed the girls to hug his neck and say goodnight. Kaitlyn giggled as she told cid about all the crazy hairstyles she was going to try with his USB chord that dangled from the top of his head. Cid was horrified and Danny just laughed along. Cid left partially annoyed by the children but also partially at peace. Danny softened. He rubbed Kaitlyn's hands soothingly as she drifted off. 

“Hey dad?”

“Hey Isabella?”

“....are you and Cid married?”

Her older sister returned back into a silly tired giggling mess. It was nice to see her happy, but Danny, only laughed for a moment. Isabella just stared off in genuine wonder

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you guys live together now just like you and mommy used to.” 

“Oh well....Cid is just being nice and letting me stay the night. Like when you go and stay at your friend’s house you know like a sleep over?”

“Oh…” She yawned and rolled onto her side.  
“Thats too bad… I like Cid. I wish we could stay here.”

There was no reasoning with a six year old. Danny was embarrassed. Not for being falsely accused of sleeping with Cid (by his own daughter), but by the reasons he was staying with Cid in first place. One day buying a house never truly crossed his mind until now. Nothing seemed to be on the agenda except for taking his skateboard down to the metaphysical shop and figuring out if the girl Cid liked, enjoyed rock or pop music. “All you care about is your fucking ego!” Debbie told him so much he started to believe her. Nothing mattered to him more than parties. Because nothing came close to how playing music and being surrounded by a thousand smiles made him feel. It didn't matter how upset it would make anybody else.

He stormed out of the house barefoot. The cold wet grass shocked his system. The same old street lamp was his only source of light. Shaking, he lit his pipe and turned the keys of his truck just so he could use the stereo and maybe the heat, but not the engine. However, he did consider turning the keys to the engine and just soaring down the street. He imagined his kids waking up left with Cid as their new dad and being okay with that. 

-

The cold pizza plopped onto Cid’s bed and woke cid up as he was just managing to fall asleep.

“Sorry.”

“Danny…”

Cid began, but no. It was pointless. Cid was 34. Danny was 34 and the two were high schoolers again. Nothing seemed to go anywhere. Nothing had changed, it was all one circle. Danny was high and numb, but he also let out a pathetic sob.

“I mean I’m sorry. Everyone in this town hates me.”

“Somehow I doubt that.” The lonely computer mouse insinuated cold as always, but he put a hand on Danny's skinny, heaving chest. 

The same way Marco did today, but gentler. Cid’s touch was a ghost compared to Marco. Danny remembered back to a phase in their 20s when he used to speculate if Cid was Homosexual or even Asexual just for how little the man would put himself out there. But it seemed clear now that the computer mouse was just very cautious to go anywhere, at all.

Cid didn't know how to say “It wouldn't affect you if you didn't care so much what others thought of you, and maybe you should just focus on building yourself up.” So Danny never heard it. The humming of the house was better compared to the noises heard while sleeping in the truck. And maybe that was all that mattered. Maybe Danny would never understand what his life truly would ammount to.


End file.
